Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

“Kwaito” Music Moves South African Youth
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley and Glen Ford
06 Jul 2020
🖨️ Print Article

Margaret Kimberley · “Kwaito” Music Moves South African Youth

Xavier Livermon, professor of African Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, sees “many parallels” between the US-based Hip Hop phenomenon and the Kwaito music beloved by young South Africans. LIvermon is author of the book, “Kwaito Bodies: Remastering Space and Subjectivity in Post-Apartheid South Africa.” Livermon doesn’t see Kwaito as purely commercial and self-commodification. “South African youth play with and engage the system,” he said, “but also push back against it.”

South Africa

Related Podcasts

BAR Radio
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Report October 2, 2026
02 October 2026
In this week’s segment we hear about the right-wing politics of the anti-migrant movement in South Africa, ANC failures, and upcoming elections in
South Africa anti-immigration march
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
South Africa's "March and March" Collaborates with Right Wing Afrikaners
02 October 2026
Our guest is Nairobi based political writer and strategist Clinton Nzala.
BAR Radio Logo
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio July 17, 2026
17 July 2026
In this week’s segment, we discuss the Supreme Court ruling that ends Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants.

More Stories


  • Police Kill. We March. Why?
    Mark P. Fancher
    Police Kill. We March. Why?
    02 Sep 2020
    We must instead think creatively about how to either take total community control of law enforcement as an institution or to bring about an independent, nation-building, self-governing reality.
  • A Tale of Two Teens: When White Killers Are Treated Better Than Black Victims
    Hana Kiros
    A Tale of Two Teens: When White Killers Are Treated Better Than Black Victims
    02 Sep 2020
    It’s Cowboys and Indians updated: a wicked game where Black people are seen as predators but almost always end up prey.
  • Cuba’s Experience Teaches Us That Medicare-for-All Is a Beginning, Not the End Point
    Don Fitz
    Cuba’s Experience Teaches Us That Medicare-for-All Is a Beginning, Not the End Point
    02 Sep 2020
    Cuba built a universal health system from scratch, and we should follow that example to replace the US non-system of medical care.
  • Some Reflections on Systemic Racism and Capitalism 
    Philippe Gendrault
    Some Reflections on Systemic Racism and Capitalism 
    02 Sep 2020
    The system of exploitation that bore slavery remains, albeit without slavery, the very same system of exploitation.
  • WikiLeaks, Still Revealing Truths About Power, Officially Launches Bibliography
    Patrick D. Anderson
    WikiLeaks, Still Revealing Truths About Power, Officially Launches Bibliography
    02 Sep 2020
    The interpretations of and commentaries in the bibliography vary widely, from unquestionable support for WikiLeaks to outright hatred of Assange.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us